Takeaway grog sale changes stir political pot

Please explain: The Federal Government contributed $1.5 million towards funding the ID scanners used by alcohol retailers for the Banned Drinker Register system.

Zsuzsanna Kilian, file photo: www.sxc.hu

The Federal Government is calling for the new Northern Territory Government to outline what it is going to do to tackle serious alcohol abuse problems.

Chief Minister Terry Mills is abolishing the requirement for personal identification documents to be scanned by alcohol retailers before they sell take-away alcohol.

The move is part of the dismantling of the former Labor government's Banned Drinker Register laws.

The Federal Government contributed $1.5 million towards funding the ID scanners used by alcohol retailers.

The office of the Federal Indigenous Affairs Minister Jenny Macklin says the register complemented measures the Commonwealth had been taking to address problem drinking and alcohol-fuelled violence in the Territory.

A spokeswoman for Ms Macklin says early data shows the Banned Drinker Register has had a positive impact on alcohol-related harm.

She says alcohol abuse is having a devastating effect in the Territory and the Federal Government wants to hear what the Country Liberals plan to do about it.

Many liquor outlets across the Territory have stopped scanning IDs before selling take-away alcohol.

But in Alice Springs, the scanning of the IDs has been in place since 2006, years before the Banned Drinker Register.

Dr John Boffa from the People's Alcohol Action Coalition says those regulations mean Alice Springs outlets that have stopped scanning, may be breaking the law.

He says the regulation governing takeaway alcohol sales in the Red Centre are separate to the Territory controls.

"It looks like this is a miscommunication and an inadequate way of actually implementing a policy," he said.

"I would hope that it's a mistake ... and that, at this stage, we are not seeing the wholesale abolition of the Alice Springs Liquor Supply Reduction Plan."

The NT Government has confirmed some people will be required to have their identification scanned when buying alcohol in parts of the Territory.

The areas where restrictions will remain include Alice Springs, Katherine, Tennant Creek, East Arnhem and Groote Eylandt.

The measures will remain in those areas because they were in place before the Banned Drinker Register came into law.

The Country Liberals say the restrictions will remain until a full review can be done.